


Alstromeria

by Izzu



Series: A chance for unlikely events [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-06-16 02:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15426690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzu/pseuds/Izzu
Summary: Six months after the Android Revolution, things are beginning to look up in Detroit. For both humans and androids. And almost a year later, Connor reunites with an unlikely person.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I should've waited till finishing Loose Ends before starting another series. But this thing kept insisting to be written so... might as well.
> 
> But that aside, this is kinda a follow-up to Guilt.

"Okay, everyone? This should be no different than any other _visitations_ we had in the past, so act _normal_ ," Fowler started his announcement before turning his attention specifically towards Gavin Reed's attention. "Especially _you_ , Reed. I don't want to see you pulling any funny _pranks_ while the reporters were around. And I don't wanna see you scaring any of the _kids_ either."  
  
Gavin immediately went livid. "Ei, boss! Why're you singling me out now? As if I'm the only _troublemaker_ in this precinct!"  
  
Fowler didn't look too pleased with the interruption. "Cos you're the _only one_ with a _history_  of misbehaviours with the androids! The androids are now considered _sentient_ , living beings and we at the DPD should be settin' an example to the people at how we treated our _co-workers._ I don't wanna see you causin' problems where everyone could see what ya doing..."  
  
Connor turned towards the man as he could see the man bristling. "It's only that _one_ time..." Gavin muttered, sending a brief glance towards Connor spitefully. _Or two_ , Connor heard the man added under his breath. He tried not to let out a snort too loudly as Hank gave him an amused look.  
  
"Ah, here they are!" exclaimed Fowler as he could see camera flashing heading towards the room from the hallways. The man hurriedly headed over to greet the entourage.   
  
xxx  
  
"As you see, aside from the RK800, _Connor_... we also had the older models working in this precinct, and there are a few others that expressed _interest_ in joining the force after the legislation on android's personhood was released. And from here you could see that we managed to form a balanced work environment where human officers and androids would be able to work together on a case and complement each other in order to achieve the best outcome. Also here if you'd like to see..."  
  
Connor kept glancing towards the media group hovering around the captain as he noticed a few glances made towards _him_. Turning back towards his terminal and trying to tell himself not to reach out into his pocket for his _coin_ , Connor sighed as he couldn't keep his mind focused on his work.

"Just _ignore_ them..."  
  
Connor glanced up, as Hank's knowing look flashed back towards him. Hank rolled his eyes at them.  
  
"Think of them as just _flies_ or somethin'. Then they'll stop bothering ya once ya got used to it."  
  
Connor tried to flash him a convincing smile. "Thanks, Hank. I'll try to do that," he said before trying to get back to his work.  
  
But then, it wasn't as if he had no _reason_ to be feeling overly _sensitive_ about it. He was still the _only_ android detective model in existence right now, discounting his only successor, RK900. And as much as the media fuss about him has long passed since the time he was first announced to the press—shortly after his first job during the hostage situation—there's no denying that his mere _presence_ would still turn some heads towards him.   
  
It didn't bother him much last time, but he couldn't say that he'd want to receive any _more_ media attention towards himself any time soon.  
  
Connor turned his glance away towards _another_ smaller group of visitors, that were _separate_ from the media one. A class trip, from a nearby school. A school teacher was leading a group of young kids as they got around to taking a closer look at how policemen do their work.  
  
A smile slowly crept to his lips as he saw how most of the kids didn't show any fear or ill feelings towards the other police androids at the station. For some reason, the sight made him feel happy.  
  
His eyes flickered towards the other schoolchildren that were following the group. A young girl _particularly_ , grabbed his attention before she turned around and stared back towards him.  
  
Connor gasped as _recognition_ dawned at him before he hastily turned his face away.

xxx

He didn't know why he did it, but he ended up _excusing himself_ as he headed outside alone. He wanted 'to get some air' as he said it to Hank, and thankfully, the old detective hadn't tried to press him about it.  
  
He sat by himself at the set of stairs at the corner of the pavement facing the precinct. Connor let out a soft sigh. He thought of the _little girl_ he saw before.  
  
He never thought that he'd be able to see _her_ again. Emma Phillips. Aged 9. Though right now she should be 10, going on 11 this year.  
  
**_"Wait. You're... sending an android? You can't... you can't do that! You w—Why aren't you sending_** _**a real person? Don't let that thing near her!"**_

 _ **"KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!**_  
  
Connor winced, as he recalled a piece of a memory from his first hostage negotiation. When he first met Emma's _mother_. The first time he encountered a human who had a disdain towards his species.  
  
He tried to recall that incident again. As much as he had been successful in saving Emma, that night had remained to be the most _traumatic_ experience he had ever had. He remembered the look Daniel gave him after the snipers shot him. The shock that he felt when the shooting started, just as soon as Emma's _safety_ was confirmed. He could never _forget_ a single detail from that night.  
  
He was never _told_ that the snipers would still proceed to shoot the deviant after he's successfully secured the hostage. When he tried to convince Daniel that he'd be safe, he had _sincerely_ believed that Daniel would be spared if he let Emma go. But  _that_  didn't happen as _planned_.  
  
He had left immediately after the SWAT team came out to secure the situation. He had maintained a blank look when he walked away and passed the gun he'd picked up to Captain Allen.  
  
He'd never saw Emma again after that night. Or even her mother. Even during the press conference afterwards, following his success. He'd never thought he'd see her again now, in these circumstances.

xxx

"Hello,"  
  
Connor jumped as he was taken by surprise by the unexpected _greeting_. He glanced up to see the very girl he was thinking about, standing before him.  
  
"It was _you_ , wasn't it? The android that _saved_ me last year. You looked _different_. "  
  
Connor blinked, as he puzzled over the _reason_ the girl in front of him was even _talking_ to him casually.  
  
"Your name is _Connor_ , right? I'm Emma. Don't you remember me?" she asked again as Connor felt his Thirium pump beating rapidly. Emma remembered his name, _she remembered him_. **_Why?_**  
  
He thought of the _horrid look_ her mother used to throw at him after finding out that he's an android. Unconsciously, Connor cringed at the memory.  
  
"Y-yes," he finally spoke. "Yes, I _am_ Connor. I remember you, _Emma_. But why—what is it that you came to see me for?"  
  
Connor braved himself to ask the last question; since it bothered him too much not to know. He was expecting some kind of outburst— _anger_ —since he remembered how much the girl used to _love_ Daniel. And he was the one that led the PL600 to his _death_...  
  
But getting a tight  _hug_... was certainly **_not_** on the list of things he'd expected.  
  
Connor let out a yelp, as he frantically tried to get Emma to release him.  
  
"E-Emma? W-what're you doing?"  
  
"I'm _sorry_... Connor," Emma suddenly spoke. "I'm sorry that I took _so long_ to meet you!"  
  
Connor froze, unsure of what's going on. Emma tightened her embrace around his neck.  
  
The girl gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling away slightly.  
  
"Also Connor, _thank you_. _Thank you_ for saving my life before. "  
  
Connor blinked, as he was suddenly overcome by an emotion that he did not understand. He didn't even notice the tears that were flowing down his cheeks until Emma's soft hand wiped the tears away.  
  
" _I'm sorry_. I dunno why I suddenly..." he gasped, before wiping the tears away hastily. And Emma hugged him again for the _second_ time. This time to _comfort him_.  
  
And this time, _Connor returned the embrace_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry too much about the title for now. Cos I always stuck on titles I always never know what to do with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, since this piece was supposed to come after Loose End, so yeah... there might be some little hints of spoilers for that fic in this piece.

**_"Thank you for saving me."_**  
  
He supposed... he should've expected this. He _should_. But perhaps, a part of him— _even before he fully deviated_ —had not felt that any of his achievements was worth much. He only  _completes his mission_ as was required. _Successfully_ , whenever possible. Nothing more, nothing _less_.  
  
But perhaps, there had been something else that he hadn't noticed before. Or _recognized._  
  
His _drive_ for completing his mission. The reason why he used to be so  _frustrated_ when he didn't manage to properly _achieve_ his mission objectives before.  
  
It struck him, that whenever Amanda had _praised him_ for a job well done... that he'd feel  _happy_. He'd gone back to reviewing all of his past investigation records and interactions, and he realized that whenever Amanda had put in a _good word_ to him, it gave him a sense of _great joy_. It dawned at him as well, that whenever Amanda had _scolded him_  or dissatisfied that he did anything not up to her liking... it made him feel _sad_.  
  
**_"Geez, you're such a momma's boy."_**  
  
Connor blinked. He recalled hearing Hank said that to him. But he hadn't quite understood it. _Did he... considered Amanda as a mother figure? Did she... to him? Considered him as...?_

Anyway, he never really felt that what he did during the hostage situation was all that _great_. Sure, he'd saved Emma—as well as the life of one SWAT officer that was nearby—but he didn't manage to get Daniel into custody _alive_.  
  
Sure, it wasn't something that he could've done _better_ —he wasn't even in charge of the operation to have any _say_ about it—but he had looked up past cases that were _similar_ to it, and he used to feel a kind of amazement to read about how _human negotiators_ were able to tackle these kinds of hostage situations daily and succeeding in capturing their criminals _alive_.

 _A part of him had wished that he could do the same thing as well._  
  
"Connor?"  
  
Connor blinked again as he registered Emma's face in front of him.  
  
"Oh! Emma... sorry. I seem to have lapsed into an internal self-diagnosis." Connor shook his head at her as he doubted that she could understand what he'd just said.   
  
"Hmm... I was just deep in thought." He shrugged, before gently pulling Emma to sit more comfortably on his lap. "But Emma, did you just... _looked_ for me to _thank_ me for what I did before? **_Why?_** _"_  
  
Emma just stared at him strangely. "Why else? Because of _you_... I'm still _alive_ now. Every day since then... I just felt grateful to be alive."  
  
Connor's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at her closely. "You don't... _hate_ androids? Because of _Daniel_... your father was _killed_. Because of _me_ , Daniel was... _decommissioned_."  
  
Emma shook her head. "I don't hate androids. Even after... _that_. Though not being able to see Dad again was painful. And Daniel—!" Connor cocked his head towards her as she looked away. "Daniel... was just _scared_."  
  
Connor didn't realise he had _stopped_ simulating his breathing simulation before resuming it. Letting the air circulating inside his body and _cooling_ it. It hadn't occurred to him until this moment that his stress level had started to spike again.  
  
"And you... _Connor_ , it's not your fault. What happened to Daniel, _it's not your fault_."  
  
Connor hastily blinked his eyes as he sensed that his artificial tear ducts were about to _malfunction_ again. _He's not sure why._  
  
But then another thought crossed his mind as they continued remaining outside. "We should get back in. People might start to get worried when they couldn't find you anywhere."  
  
Emma nodded her head slowly, but still refused to get up from his lap. Connor looked at her curiously before deciding to carry her in his arms. Emma right away wrapped her arm around Connor's neck as if in agreement.

xxx

Just as they were about to reenter the precinct again, Hank had hurriedly rushed outside.  
  
"Connor, I need you back inside. A kid got missing from the visiting school group an—" he gasped before noticing Emma in Connor's arms. "You already _found_ her? Whoa, that was quick."  
  
"Sorry..." Emma said before Hank hurriedly tried to reassure her.  
  
"No, no, no... it's _okay_ , I'm not getting mad at you. We're just worried, that's all—"  
  
"I'm sorry too," Connor started to say as Hank gave him _another_ confused look.  
  
"Why are you apologizing for—?" Hank asked as Connor tried to smile, rather awkwardly.

"It's _my fault_ that I went outside so suddenly. Emma saw me, and took the chance to follow me out," he explained.  
  
"That's not enough reason to start blaming yourselves! I—" the man looked at the two warily as he frowned. "Why're you two looking like you've been _friends_ for a long time?"  
  
Connor laughed nervously. "Umm, well..." the man turned his attention back to Connor. "That's because... we _did_ know each other before."  
  
The android weakly shrugged. "Emma... was the girl that I _saved_ before. Don't you remember? When you asked me before if I had ever met a _deviant_ prior to being assigned to you, well, I said that there was _one time_ —"  
  
Hank blinked, before seemingly looked as if he had remembered something. "Oh, I think I remembered that. _Hostage situation_... wasn't it?"  
  
Connor nodded silently as Emma clung to Connor even closer. Hank sighed before letting out a small chuckle. "Well, I'd be. Such a small world."  
  
Hank tried to gently coax Emma to open up to him as the girl started to relax again. The man smiled.   
  
"Did you like Connor, Emma? Even when he's just a _silly_ android?"  
  
Emma beamed immediately at the query and nodded enthusiastically. Hank snorted.  
  
"Yeah, me too. Then again I doubted anyone would ever _not_ like this _doofus_ , especially with him looking as _cute_ as he is now."  
  
The old man had looked amused with himself as Connor deduced that he must have _blushed_ at the retort. He still hasn't yet fully figured out the full extent of the _changes_ Amanda have made on his _aesthetic functions_ , but he had kept logs on how many times he heard people commented that he had looked even more _human-like_ than before. While he should not have been bothered about that, it's still enough to make him feel a bit _flustered_.  
  
"Lieutenant—I mean, _Hank!_ Please don't tease me again—" he started to say as the old detective continued to giggle.  
  
"Don't bully Connor!" Emma added, as Hank immediately raises his hands as a sign of defeat. That made the young girl burst into laughter immediately.  
  
"I like you, Mr. Detecti—"  
  
"Hank. Call me Hank. If you're already on a first-name basis with this kid, then you do the same with me."

Emma just smiled at him even wider.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd be lying if I said that this fluff won't have a bit of angst. But then, some angst would be inevitable.
> 
> I wished AO3 could colour-code words in fics. It would've been more fun.

When the three of them got back inside, Hank had immediately head over towards Fowler to explain what had happened. Connor and Emma had also hurried over behind Hank to apologize for the sudden alarm.  
  
The teacher in charge was also with the captain and was very _relieved_ to see that Emma had been safe. Connor hastily muttered his apologies to the teacher as well.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss Evans, to have caused something like this..."  
  
"It's all right," said the young woman as well. "I should've also been more _careful_ as well."  
  
Without warning, one of the reporters let out a cry.   
  
"Hey! Isn't this Emma Phillips? The girl who had been held hostage by an _android_ last year?"  
  
Right after that _one_ reporter spoke, immediately the rest of them started to focus their attention towards the little girl. Emma immediately started hiding behind Connor's legs.  
  
Connor gasped as his sensors started detecting _elevated heartrates_ from Emma. He turned towards the group of reporters. "Stop!" he cried out. "You're causing Emma a lot of distress! Please stop."  
  
Unfortunately, that _didn't_ help as the reporters' attentions were _then_ diverted towards _him_ as they noticed his _LED_. A few _more_ of them started to exclaim that he's the RK800 who helped in rescuing Emma from that hostage situation, and that made the rest of them started to take out their cameras to try to get Connor and Emma to _pose_ and have a picture together.  
  
Connor tried to back away before realising that he couldn't seem to be able to move his legs. Flashbacks of the past memory suddenly popped into his mind.  
  
**_"YoU liED, cOnnoR!"_**  
  
**_"whys aREn't yoU seNDinG a ReAL peRSon?!"_**  
  
**/Warning:** Stress levels at 59% **/**

xxx

"Hey, back off!" Hank cried out, as he and a few other officers tried to push the reporters back from swarming towards Connor and Emma. Few other officers had gone to help Miss Sophia Evans to round up the rest of the school kids towards the pantry.   
  
"Back off all of ye. Or I'm locking ye all in the detention cells!" Fowler hollered at them as few of them started to back away. Hank let out a sigh before turning around to check on both Connor and Emma.  
  
In which Hank almost swore aloud as he saw Connor's LED blinking _**red**_. The android was _frozen stiff_ like a deer in headlights!  
  
"Fu- _dangit_ , Connor!"  
  
Turning towards the chaos behind him, he immediately dragged—or more like _force-dragging_ —Connor and _Emma_ away before shoving both of them into the observation room. Connor had barely responded to him, and it took a lot of effort to even try to get the RK800 to move with Emma still clinging on his android legs. But he still managed it, and that's _fine._  
  
Hank let out a long sigh before turning back towards the crowds. With Connor and Emma no longer in plain sight, the reporters seemed to have calmed down a bit. He pressed the bridge of his nose as Hank could sense a migraine incoming.  
  
"Okay ye little shits, hand over all ye cameras now!"

xxx

Connor checked his chronometer again. It's been 3 hours and 45 minutes. And he and Emma were still _hiding_ inside the observation room.  
  
He glanced towards the door. A part of him was telling him that it should be enough time already for them to remain hiding. They should come out now. Yet another part was still wary about facing those reporters again, and he didn't want to alarm Emma again.  
  
_Yet what should he do?_  
  
The door suddenly opened as Hank rushed in.  
  
"You alright?"  
  
Connor just shrugged before glancing down towards Emma. "Emma's fine. She fell asleep after an hour..."  
  
True enough, Hank could see the small girl breathing softly as she remained lying on Connor's chest, fast asleep. The old detective shook his head.  
  
"I'm not talking about Emma, I'm talking about _you_ ," Hank growled, all the time keeping his voice low.  
  
Connor stared at him wide-eyed, before sighing. "I'm fine. It's _nothing_... really."  
  
"Yea, _horseshit._ I saw you freezing up earlier, and your blinker's flashing _red_ all the time. Not gonna talk about it?"  
  
Connor opened his mouth to _argue_ but changed his mind midway. His eyes flicked towards the door.  
  
"Reporters still there?" he asked as Hank shook his head.  
  
"Fowler sent them packing after I made all of them _delete_ any traces of the pictures they took of the two of you. Damn mob even _worse_ than a horde of protestors." Hank shrugged.   
  
"Made them promise not to _publish_ any news about you or the kid."  
  
Connor let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."  
  
Hank continued eyeing the android as he spoke again. "Still dun wanna tell?"  
  
Connor stared at him in surprise, before looking away. "I don't want the fact that I met Emma again to make it on the news. Because _she_... might see it."  
  
Hank remained quiet as Connor continued. "Emma's mother... she didn't _like_ androids. I still _remembered_ , how she screamed at me asking why a _human_ wasn't sent out to save Emma."

Hank frowned.  
  
"Have you met her mother after the incident?"  
  
Connor shook his head. "I could still remember her screams telling me to stay _away_ from Emma."  
  
Hank let out a shrug. "Well, I'm _here_ now so you can come to me for help if you're scared. Cos from the looks of it, we might as well meet the mother."  
  
Connor stared at him in alarm as Hank raised his hands. "We _do_ need to send Emma _home_ anyway. The rest of her class had already gone left."

The android stared back at him, puzzled.  
  
"Eh? **_Why?_** Emma's still here—"  
  
Hank shrugged again. "I'd say the teacher had a _good call_. I guess, even if we got her away from the reporters, the other kids might still _ask_ her about the incident. She's better off with us for now."  
  
Connor pouted, before tightening his hold around Emma.  
  
"Fine. I _understand._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the comments made me change my initial idea for the plot of this story. Not that I hadn't planned for Connor to meet Caroline again... but that plot actually went differently. And then I decide... I might as well follow the 'positive vibe' formula. So this fic would have a bit of angst here and there but it'll mostly NOT be too dark. We got too many of that kinda theme anyway.
> 
> ~~And a part of me was snickering at the thought that Hank would've had to try **very** hard to self-censor himself at the presence of Emma. XD~~


	4. Chapter 4

"Heh, so now apparently you can do some babysittin'? What else you would do after this just to show off your _oh-so-usefulness?"_  
  
Connor gave Gavin a side glance before ignoring the said man to smile back to Emma. He pulled out his coin and started doing his coin trick in front of her.  
  
_KA-CHINK...CHINK... KA-CHINK..._  
  
"That's so cool!" Emma exclaimed, as her eyes kept following the coin Connor kept flicking from one end to another. Connor, on the other hand, kept watching Emma's reactions.  
  
The coin trick that he did, was something that one of the other Cyberlife technicians had added in his programming as a means that he could use to recalibrate his reflex parameters. And it's also because said technician used to have a fondness for old detective noir movies.   
  
While he himself had often done the trick to check his systems, had to say that lately... he tended to do it whenever he felt slightly _stressed_. A habit that he caught, whenever he had a _nervous tic_.  
  
Hank tend to dislike it that he did it too often. But he was curious to see that children tend to find it _fascinating_ and tried to copy his movements. He also caught Hank trying to do the trick, but the old man wouldn't admit to him that he did. That aside...  
  
He wondered if said technician had ever anticipated that the coin trick program would become _more_ than just what it was meant to be for.  
  
_KA-CHINK... CHINK... KA-CHINK..._  
  
Connor glanced towards the bullpen as Hank was still talking to the captain. The man said he was just going to ask Fowler to allow the two of them to check out early. Not just to send Emma home; but since today was just an open public day for the precinct and they had no other case to deal with that needed their immediate attention, they might as well take it easy. Connor expected the talk wouldn't take Hank a really long time to do to convince the other man, but now he had to wonder what else the two were talking about.  
  
_KA-CHINK... CHINK... KA-CHINK..._  
  
"I liked to hear the sound the coin makes..." Emma suddenly spoke out, as Connor turned his attention towards her.  
  
_KA-CHINK... CHINK... KA-CHINK..._  
  
Connor blinked. Now that he thought about it, the sound that the coin makes as he flicked it around... _did_ have a _pleasant ring_. And the steady beat where he timed each movement he made almost unconsciously, was somehow quite _soothing_ to hear. _Was it why his stress level always seemed to go down whenever he fiddled with his coin?_  
  
_**That was certainly an interesting notion.**_  
  
Connor sighed. Have to say that he was quite nervous to see Mrs. Phillips again. He'd hate to imagine having to see her looking at him _again_ with repulsion. He didn't like it when others _feared him needlessly_ as they would a _monster_. He was originally programmed to get along well with humans, so to receive the opposite result...  
  
Of course, the idea was a bit _daunting_ to him.

"Connor?"

Connor glanced up to see a worried Emma. "Are you okay?" the little girl asked as Connor hastily shook his head.

"No... I mean, yes! I'm fine, Emma!" he hastily said as he saw Emma's eyes flitted towards his LED. Connor felt his regulator skipped a bit before closing his eyes to will himself to calm down. He opened his eyes again to see that Emma stopped staring at his LED, meaning that it should be blue right now. The girl started to smile again before turning her attention towards another part of the precinct, as she watched some of the other police officers taking down the banners and little flags that had been put up earlier for the open day.

Connor let out a soft wheeze. That was too close. He didn't want Hank and Emma to be aware that he was still somewhat tense about the probability of seeing Emma's mother again. Which was quite high—no. It should be _definite_ that he will meet up with Caroline Phillips. Being a single parent after her husband's death... and after Daniel, it was unlikely that Caroline would allow any more androids near Emma; even if it's only to take care of Emma while she worked to support the family. And even if she did, it's unlikely that she'd welcome _him_ into her home.

_And now that he thought about it, what happened to the android that the late John Phillips supposedly had ordered to replace Daniel?_

He frowned at that thought before gasping out loud when a hand suddenly slapped his back. Connor turned around to see Hank looking at him, amused. The old man turned his face towards Emma as the little girl rushed over to greet him. Hank smiled.

"Fowler's gave the green light. We can go home early," he said before turning towards Emma again. "How about something to eat before we send you home?"

"Yay!" Emma let out a cheer before grabbing Connor's hand to urge him to leave.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha. Not sure if this was considered short by my usual standards... though to be honest, I'm quite stumped on what to write in-between this and 'that' inevitable moment. I need to do some more research.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might as well resume this fic, now that I released the extra about Kamski's 'next' mischief. I swear at this point whenever he added some tiny upgrades to Connor he just wanna one-up Amanda...

It suddenly occurred to him that Hank most likely had the palate of a _child_.

Not sure why it took him this long to figure this out, but Connor decided to put this newfound knowledge of his into his archives. He smiled, as the similar sight of Hank and Emma enjoying their burgers together gave him a pleasant feeling. He had pointed out to Hank earlier that bringing Emma to Chicken Feed might not be the best thing to do—even if Gary Keyes, the owner of Chicken Feed had _finally_ renewed his food hygiene license in order to continue operating his food truck business. Considering the location of the place the food truck often operates, it might not be _appropriate_ to bring a kid to that place. And since they definitely could not take Emma to Jimmy's Bar, he managed to convince Hank to drive to a nearby fast-food restaurant that was much more... _kid-friendly_. That didn't seem to be a hard feat to do, but seeing the slight change of expression in Hank prior to entering the restaurant... Connor had a feeling that Hank wasn't a stranger to this _particular_ fast food restaurant.

In which, it's probably a place that he used to _frequent_... prior to Cole's death.

Connor did an initial run-through of the restaurant's menu; as well as the nutritional values on the food sold at the restaurant and found it much to _his_ liking. Though, he had to say something about a lack of _proper_ green side-dishes on the menu. In which he would've tried to get Hank to take.

These past few months; whenever he had some free time from the off-days he gets nowadays, Connor had been doing a bit of a _minor endeavour_ , to find ways to improve the quality of the food that Hank consumes daily. Well, that was beside his attempt to curb Hank's dependency on alcohol. The latter seemed to meet with _some_ level of success the more Connor manage to keep Hank from falling into his old state of depression. But the former? Occasionally, his attempts met with some kind of _interest_  from Hank, but most of the time... he ended up having to use some kind of trickery to even get Hank to try to eat anything that he wasn't used to. And _rarely_  was he successful in making Hank like the choice of food he suggested for him.

Yet right now, despite the fact that the sliders Hank was eating at the moment was less _greasy_ and much  _healthier_ than the usual burgers he always got from Chicken Feed; Hank didn't right away refuse to eat the sliders and dived in. Even when some of the ingredients were the ones that Connor had tried to make Hank _eat_ before, but was unsuccessful to convince Hank to try.

Not sure if it was just because Emma was around. Connor didn't quite understand the reason why this happened.

Basically, to conclude, Hank was as _picky_ as any child around Emma's age when it comes to food. It dawned on him that figuring out the types of food that Hank would want to eat would be as tricky as any other cases that he'd handled.

Connor continued eyeing the two with interest.

Emma glanced up towards Connor. "You wanna try this, Connor?"

Connor pulled back, slightly startled. Hank glanced up from the other side of the table as he snorted. "Emma, what're ya talking about. Connor's an android..."

Emma just shrugged, as she took a bite on her sliders. "But Connor really looked like he wanted to _taste_ some."

That made Hank looked up towards him, and the stares made him feel slightly self-conscious. "Really... huh? Then why don't you _try_ some, Connor?"

Connor frowned, as he exchanged glances between Hank and Emma. As much as he had been _curious_  about the taste of the sliders the two had been eating together, Connor felt slightly overly _conscious_ at the thought of Hank watching his _reactions_ to the food. The past few months—ever since Kamski had given him an upgrade on his taste sensory program—Connor have been periodically updating his own database on the chemical components of food that provide taste and how those tastes influenced humans in deciding to consume those foods. The database hasn't yet completed, thus the reason why some of his attempts to get Hank to try new kinds of food failed. It occurred to him that different combinations of food may influence the way the food may appeal to humans to want to _eat_ them.

Yet, rather than wanting to humour him to try having a taste on the new types of dishes he suggested, Hank was much more curious to see _his reactions_ to being able to taste food. 

Hank's expression right now revealed _exactly_ that.

"Umm..."

A phone suddenly rang as Hank picked up his phone and stared at the caller ID. The detective glanced up towards them. "Ah, excuse me..." said the old man before getting up to answer the call.

Connor frowned at him as he watched Hank walking away. A brief review of his earlier observation revealed that Hank had just received a call from Caroline Phillips, Emma's mother. Yet as to why Hank would want to take the call away out of his hearing range, Connor did not know why.

His musings were put to a halt as Emma nudged him at his side, showing him her half-eaten slider. Connor blinked at her before leaning over and took a small bite. His internal sensory program immediately started breaking down the slider he'd just sampled, down to its ingredients and chemical components. 

[Bread buns. Chopped onions. Pickle slice. Beef patty. Tomato sauce. Cheese.]

A mixture of _sweet_ , _sour_ , _salty_ and _umami_  taste. Connor turned his glanced towards Emma as he catalogued the combination of ingredients. 

"Is this... _tasty_ for you?" he asked, as Emma nodded vigorously and continued eating. Connor recorded that in his logs, before turning to look at one of the double cheese sliders that Hank have yet touched.

_So Hank's preference was like this..._

Connor looked up just as Hank finally returned from taking his call. The man snorted at him before grabbing a napkin to wipe Connor's mouth. "Guess I missed the _show_. I take it that he _liked_ it?"

He turned towards Emma as the girl kept grinning. Did he reveal some kind of _reaction_ earlier without realizing it? Connor glanced back towards Hank as the man sat on his seat to resume eating.

"Your mom just called," said Hank as Emma glanced up to acknowledge him. "It'll take her a few more minutes to finish work before heading home so we still have some time before sending you back."

Connor smiled weakly. So Mrs Phillips had been faring well too. And seeing that Hank wasn't rushing them to leave, could mean that she was not _too alarmed_ at the fact that he was with Emma. Or maybe, Hank didn't tell her _yet_.

Connor let his shoulders sag as he glanced towards Hank.

_Hopefully, things would go well later..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a certain idea of what kinda fast food restaurant that I based the setting on, but still keeping it vague. Apologies in advance (from here on out) if there's any real-life reference regarding Detroit in this fic that wasn't quite accurate. Wiki/Internet can help only so much.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It always surprised me whenever I get a sharp increase of Kudos. Did people love it so much when I said Hank had a childish appetite? Or was the part about Connor being a messy eater? 8D
> 
> Again, sorry if I get it wrong about any of the Detroit details. Then again, I could always check Google Earth for stuff. But yea...
> 
> Edit: Posting this new chapter on Connor's birthday... as well as the anniversary of that hostage case. What are the odds? XP

"We're here!" said Hank as he turned the gears to park. "Nice neighbourhood they got 'ere..."

Connor looked up to see the beautiful housing district of Rosedale Park. He glanced down at the girl beside him, as Emma was still asleep. Connor tried to gently coax her awake but the girl wouldn't budge.

Hank turned towards the back of the car as he noticed Connor's predicament. The man smiled.

"Just carry Emma out, it's not that far anyway,"

"But Hank—!" The man looked up towards him as Connor fidgeted. "I-I don't think—Is it appropriate that I... _show myself there?_ "

"Nonsense! You'll be just fine..." said Hank before going out and closed the car door behind him, walking up towards a house nearby.

Connor sighed to himself before getting out of the car, before circling around towards the other side to get Emma. Careful to not startle Emma so suddenly, Connor gently carried her in his arms before joining up with Hank. Emma's current home was a mid-sized, two-storey house built in a Ranch style. It looked quite quaint. To think that Emma and her mother lived in this house now. But suppose, after the incident with Daniel last year... Emma's mom wouldn't want to live in that old apartment of theirs, let alone any other high-rise buildings.

Hank rang the doorbell once and knocked gently on the door twice as Connor felt his Thirium pump beating faster. He could hear footsteps incoming as Connor held his artificial breathing simulation still. The door opened.

"Hi...!"

"Good evening, ma'am," said Hank as suddenly Connor found himself unable to speak. His voice modulator was still _functional_ to the best of his knowledge, yet...

He was about to back away before Caroline Phillips turned her attention towards him. Connor instantly froze. 

Caroline Phillips was staring back at him. After a brief second, Connor blinked. She'd looked _different_ than the last time he remembered her. But of course, back then she was overcome with _grief_ after witnessing her husband being killed by their own android and then later, stricken with _fear_ at the thought of her daughter meeting the same fate. _Of course_ the woman standing before him would look different now. Connor ran a scan on the woman to see that the woman was in good health.

**_"Why aren't you sending a real human?"_ **

Connor shook his head as old memories started to resurface into his line of sight. He was about to say something to her in greeting before Connor noticed that her eyes had flitted towards his LED.

 _Did she recognise him?_ Amanda's alteration over his physical appearance did not change the structure of his physical faceplate, just the _texture._ So as much as his current appearance looked more  _organic_... people should still be able to _recognise_ him from his previous appearance. Not to mention that his uniform had remained the _same_.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Caroline suddenly... _smiled_ at him.

"You're _Connor_ , isn't it?"

Connor let out a soft gasp as his artificial breathing simulation program kicked in without warning.

"Err... y-yes, I-I'm Connor. I'm the android that was sent by—I mean, I'm the _same_ android... that you _met_ last year."

The woman nodded slowly before turning her attention towards Emma. Caroline sighed.

"Shouldn't you stop _pretending_ that you're asleep now, Emma?" said the woman as Connor looked down towards the little girl he was carrying, eyes wide.

Emma slowly opened her eyes before pouting. "Aww, mom! You don't have to bust my bubble so soon!" cried the little girl as Hank snorted.

Immediately after, Caroline invited _all of them_ into the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know... Emma sleeps a lot. But then again, when you have fluff Connor next to you... you can't help be so comfy with him. Or _want_ to keep cosying up to him XD
> 
> A/N: Half of me thought that I should add some more to this chapter, but I might as well move the rest of the scene to the next chapter. Enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha.... the moment's everyone been waiting for! And it DID end up differently than what I initially planned for her meeting with Connor to be. I used to want to keep Connor away for her much longer. But here goes...

The woman let out a long sigh before taking her eyes away from the playroom nearby, where Hank could still see Emma and Connor playing house together. He smiled at the sight, before turning back towards Mrs. Phillips who could barely keep herself together.

"It's... it's really _fine_ , right? Leaving those two _together?_ "

Hank glanced again towards Connor before shrugging towards her. "It's okay. Connor might look like an awkward kid right now, but he's fine. The whole ordeal at the precinct this morning didn't just affect Emma, but the kid had fared well. In fact, I think the reason Emma was able to take it easy after that brush with the media... was probably because Connor was with him."

Caroline let out another sigh of relief. "Thank god. I'm so sorry for the trouble." She turned her head to look at her daughter. "I was... _concerned_. Ever since that night, everything changed. After... we lost _John_ , I didn't know what to do. It took a while for Emma to snap out of her dreadful experience; before she could get back to school... and live _normally_ again."

Caroline just shrugged towards Hank. "She had been cheerful, sunny again... smiling, playing, _laughing!_ I really believed that she's _finally_  be all right."

Hank stared at her sympathetically. For a moment, he thought about his ex-wife; how hard it had been between them ever since Cole died, the _emotional stress_ that both of them were experiencing... burying their only child, trying to keep on living... to which the strain of it all drove the two apart. Looking back, between him and Phillips... the woman had fared much _better_ than him. But then again, it's because her child was _alive_. 

Perhaps, if he had died _instead_ in that accident and Cole surviving... it could be his ex-wife facing this same exact situation. And how would Cole fare if he had _lived_ to face that kind of scenario?

"That _android_..." Hank looked up towards her, "...he was about John's _height_. I wonder if Emma reached out towards _him_ because she misses _her father's presence_."

"You didn't ask her if there's anything wrong?" Hank asked again as Caroline shrugged.  
  
"I did, I always do try to get her to open up to me. I asked her teachers, asked if Emma needed any counselling... I tried so many things. Emma always said that she's _fine_ ," said Caroline again, her voice almost cracked at the emotional strain.

Hank smiled weakly. "Emma's must not have wanted you to worry about her too much."

Caroline just snorted at that. She glanced again towards that playroom. "That android... I used to _scream_ at him, asking why on earth that they sent a _robot_ to save my daughter. I thought that it should be handled by a more _experienced_ negotiator. Because I'm so afraid that the _android_ would just send my daughter to death, just like how _Daniel_... killed John." She shook her head weakly. "Yet, that android— _Connor_ —saved my _only_ daughter. I didn't even _thank_ him for doing that."

"You could do it _now_... just like Emma did. I don't think that Connor would mind it."

Caroline turned her attention towards him, "Was that what Emma's been doing at the precinct?"

Hank nodded. "Alarmed everyone for a sec. And the two acted as if they've been friends for ages, almost inseparable even."

"Emma did have a _knack_ at doing that," she agreed. "She could easily get along with anyone in a matter of minutes. Humans or androids... or even animals, it doesn't matter. If she wanted to befriend them, no one could ever stop her from trying."

Caroline paused as if thinking about the past. "If only John didn't decide to get a new android to replace Daniel, perhaps he would still be alive now." She glanced up. "I was  _concerned_. The two got _too close_ , so I told John about it. After that, he thought that it might be better for us to get a _female_ android to take care of Emma. Never thought that things would escalate so badly. If I knew, I wouldn't have told John about that..."

"Don't blame yourself too much. You didn't know. How could we expect that the androids would also develop emotions like us?" Hank turned to look towards Connor's direction. "Even that kid. I used to think that he was just a mere machine with no emotions. But then he started to change... and Connor grew to become _so much more_ than what I _thought_ he could be."

xxx

Caroline escorted the two of them out after putting Emma to bed. Before he and Connor could bid their goodbyes, Caroline took the RK800's hand into her own.

"Thank you, Connor. For _back then_... as well as what you did for Emma _today_. I'm sorry... if the things I've said to you in the past have hurt you. Thank you so very much, Connor, for existing."

Connor started to shake his head. "N-No... you don't have to—I just...!"

And to Hank's surprise, Connor started _bawling_ like a baby as Caroline Phillips gently embraced him to calm him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost broke down myself trying to type Caroline's lines. Hopefully, that means I'm channelling her emotions right. Still, amazing how one could write of a character that barely appeared in the game. But there you have it.
> 
> And shucks, Connor... why you have to be such a precious baby... XD


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to remind myself that this fic's setting should be around...early or mid-May or something. Cos then I need to consider what kind of weather we'd be having.

Hank woke up to see that it's already 8 in the morning. He frowned. How the hell was he _awake_ so early—on his _day off_ to top it all? He caught a whiff of _toasted bread,_   _fried eggs_  and coffee, and let out a long sigh. Connor, _of course_. He told Connor that there was no need for the android to go as far as maintaining a _strict routine_ of making _breakfast_ for him every day—he could always get some at the Chicken Feed or some other places—but the RK800 wasn't one to change his mind so easily. He got off the bed to check on the android.

Connor just barely placed the plate of french toast and a pot of freshly brewed coffee when Hank reached the kitchen. He frowned, noticing the black shirt Connor was wearing.

"You going somewhere? It's our day off!"

Connor nodded. "I _know_..."

Hank cocked his head at him. "Did Markus called on you?"

Connor shook his head. "No. I just wanted to go out and pay a visit to _someone_."

"Are you meeting _Kamski_ by any chance?" he asked, just in case. He could never be _too careful_ about Kamski. And now that Cyberlife no longer manufactures any _new_ androids... Connor was the only _other_ android that Kamski could freely _experiment_ on. Besides his girls. And while Kamski's 'experiments' weren't quite _dangerous_ to Connor; or to the other Chloes, Hank was still _wary_ of the guy's habit to tamper with Connor's inner workings _without warning_.

"No? Why would I see him?" Connor answered back. And Hank caught a brief flash of yellow from Connor's LED. So his guess was _wrong_... yet, there was a chance that Connor _could_  meet Kamski? Is that it?

"Are you seeing your _mom?"_

Connor's LED immediately cycled yellow, with brief flashes of _red_. Even Connor's _cheeks_ right now had flushed _red_. Hank smirked. He guessed right.

Hank thought of last night's meet up with Caroline Phillips. Connor had been so nervous throughout the trip to Rosedale, and his _emotional state_ after coming back from Rosedale didn't fare any better. He totally never expected Connor to bawl like an average kid—he's seen Connor _cry_ before but not _full-blown_ like that—but looking at how _calm_ Caroline was, he suspected that it was related to _something_ that happened during the hostage situation. Hank had contemplated looking up that incident's case file during the drive home, but then he got so tired he hit the sack the moment they reached home.

"You wanna _talk_ about it?" he asked as Connor hastily shook his head.

"N-nothing. I'm okay." Connor immediately frowned. "And no, Hank! Why did you keep referring to Amanda as my _mother?"_

Hank snorted. When would the kid ever admit _this_  fact to himself? "You mean to say that she's _not_ behaving as a mother to you?"

Connor gave him an _incredulous_ look before excusing himself out of the house.

xxx

Connor stepped out of the auto-taxi and walked up towards the main lobby, where Chloe was already waiting for him. She smiled at him. "Hello, Connor. May I know _why_ you're visiting us today?"

He just shrugged. "I just... wanted to see— _talk to_ —Amanda. Can you tell me where she is?"

The RT600 just smiled. "Amanda's still at the sub-level 49. Do you want me to call her?"

Connor shook his head. "It's fine, I'll just meet her there," he said to her before excusing himself.

The trip downwards had been slightly... _uncomfortable_. Since every time he took this particular elevator, the past memories of his _infiltration_ would come back to him. But that aside, the outer appearance of the sub-level area had changed a lot from that time. The white-coated platings that used to cover the surface of the other sub-level floors leading down to sub-level 49 were now covered with _holographic panels_ , that simulated the view of the _sky_ overlooking the Cyberlife Tower. And the underground warehouse had been transformed into a real-life _recreation_ of Connor's Zen Garden.

Connor stepped out of the elevator as a cold, gentle wave of air rushed onto his face. He slowly threaded the familiar landscape towards the centre of the garden to find a small trellis, where a small rose bush had been planted at the base of the trellis. And like how it had been inside his Zen Garden program, the rose bush had grown so much that the trellis and rose bush were pretty much inseparable. Amanda was there _tending_ to the rose bush; like she always did inside his Zen Garden program. She turned around the moment Connor got near enough towards her.

Amanda smiled. "Hello, Connor. Is there any reason for this visit of yours?"

Connor tried to smile at her before the attempt started to fail midway. There's no doubt to anyone who could see him right now, that Connor looked _close_ to being what human beings would describe as being _distraught_.

"I think..." Connor's voice shook, "...that I'm having a slight _malfunction._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to Amanda again ~~as well as her acting like Con's mom~~. And obviously, I needed to make use of the underground warehouse. For a while, I've been mulling on the idea of a 'physical' Zen Garden yet as to where I should put the garden's location had alluded me for a while. And then the moment I typed this chapter it just hit me on the best location to put in the garden.
> 
> Hope the technical part of the set up in this chapter made sense.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost accidentally deleted the previous chapter while tryna edit some parts, haha. That scared me a bit lol. The reason why you shouldn't edit stuff half asleep. That aside, I'm gonna add more on my personal headcanon on Amanda. Cos yes, I love her character. Amanda had a lot of potential not many had tried to explore.

_"I think... that I'm having a slight malfunction."_

Amanda blinked at him, looking almost _surprised_. In which it was a _rare expression_ to see from her, to be honest. Connor never _ever_ saw Amanda being taken by surprise, she always seemed to be able to anticipate everything that comes her way. She always seemed to _know_ _everything_...

And considering that Conrad was supposed to be a _better_ version than him, it would have meant that _he_ as the _older_ model must have had _something_ that was lacking compared to his successor. So it should be possible that he still had a possibility to malfunction at some point.

Yet from Amanda's expression, it seemed as if she hadn't anticipated this at all.

"Come here, Connor." Amanda held out a hand towards him as Connor took her hand. She led him towards a white bench, facing the edge of what should be a small _stream_ if he had to refer to what he remembered his Zen Garden's program. But because they're currently situated very deep underneath the base of Cyberlife Tower, it wasn't possible to recreate the stream inside the program into this physical Zen Garden. Instead, the areas that used to be part of a series of interconnected small streams... were now covered with sands and pebbles, brought from the surface.

Amanda sat on the bench as Connor followed suit. She took Connor's right arm and intertwined it with her own. For some reason that gesture made Connor felt _warm_ in his chest. 

Amanda smiled gently towards him. "Why did you think that you have malfunctioned, Connor?" 

Connor let out a long sigh, a human gesture that he didn't really _need_ to make... yet doing it made him feel much _calmer_. He started telling her about the open day event at the DPD the day before. And his meeting with Emma Phillips again. Amanda nodded as she gently coaxed him to continue. And then Connor told her how... after Emma told him that she's grateful to him for saving her before, that he started to _cry_. Yet at the time, he didn't exactly _feel_ any emotion that was remotely _sad_. The same thing happened again after he and Hank were about to part ways with Caroline Phillips. He cried, and it was a much _greater outburst_ that didn't just involve the production of his artificial tears. His body had shaken very badly, and he seemed to have lost control of his own body to the point that he needed help to get back to Hank's car before they could return home. Connor also related an earlier incident where a confrontation with the media group made him recall snippets of memories from his first mission and causing himself to _freeze up_ without warning.

He could only interpret all those occurrences as a series of _malfunctions_.

Amanda slowly nodded her head after his long explanation.

"Then, all of these _emotions_ that you felt... could you describe it to me?"

Connor blinked. "Wh-what did you mean?"

Amanda smiled, before gently caressing his arm in a circular motion. "When Emma expressed her feelings to you; when you _cried_ , how did you feel?"

Connor frowned. "I felt... _relieved?_  " He shrugged. "I don't know. Somehow... I'm _glad_ that Emma did not begrudge me for the things I did during the hostage situation. Of how... I caused Daniel's _death_. Because I saw the recording where Emma was shown to be having a _close relationship_ with Daniel."

Connor glanced up towards her. "Regardless, of all the emotions that I've  _felt_ at the time... none of them were of _sadness_. So I did not understand why I would simulate... _crying_."

Amanda cocked her head towards him, seemingly interested in his explanation. "Why did you think that crying only involved with the feeling of sadness?"

For some reason, Connor sensed a feeling of a sudden Thirium rush towards the artificial surface of his facial skin. Particularly at his cheeks. Which might mean that he was currently _blushing_.

"I..." Connor turned his glance away from Amanda. "I've cried once... _before_. When I tried to break free of your control the second time." He turned his glance back towards his former handler as Amanda nodded in understanding. Connor blinked again.

_Perhaps Hank had been right about Amanda acting...very **motherly** towards him._

"I realized that I felt _sad_... at the thought that I have to continue to _disobey_ you. Because... I _liked_ you a lot." It was embarrassing to voice his feelings out _clearly_ like this, but Connor ploughed through. "It _scared_ me... the first time you took over my system's control. I  _hated_ the thought of... you no longer acting  _kindly_ towards me. That _saddens_ me."

"I see."

That was Amanda's only reply. Somehow, that short answer made him feel slightly _nervous_. He'd just confessed that he liked Amanda a lot, even _prior_ to his deviation—yet Amanda didn't reveal any reaction towards it. For some reason, he felt... _disappointed?_

"What about your feelings towards Caroline Phillips?"

"Eh?"

Connor refocused his attention back towards Amanda.

"When you lost control of your emotions—when you had _cried very hard_... what kind of emotions were you feeling?"

Connor cocked his head towards her, before glancing downwards to recollect his thoughts. His LED blinked rapidly as he tried to process all of the data recollections of the previous night. He pursed his lips together.

"I... still _remembered_ the first time I met with Caroline Phillips." Connor made a swallowing gesture. "She was horribly distressed due to the android that took her daughter hostage and she was extremely _distrustful_ of androids. She was _angry_ that an android was sent to rescue her daughter rather than a human."

He turned towards Amanda. "I was so afraid that she'd still have the same _resentment_ towards androids. Towards _me_."

"But she didn't," Amanda spoke, as Connor looked up towards her _hopefully_. "She changed her mind about androids and _thanked_ you for protecting her daughter. Were you _sad_ about that?"

Connor hastily shook his head at her. "It's not _that!_ It's just... when I heard that, suddenly... I felt like there was a huge _weight_ being dropped from my shoulders. As if a dam had just been broken... and a rush of  _something_ came through. It was so overwhelming!"

"I felt as if I've lost complete control of myself!" He looked up towards her with worry. "Am I _broken_?"

Amanda smiled again, before reaching out to caress the side of Connor's face.

"It's all right, Connor. You have not malfunctioned." Connor stared at her, confused.

"B-but... I didn't understand. The side effects that happened to me when I had these different _emotions_... the strange _errors_ —"

"Were all natural responses... that _humans_ also displays," Amanda spoke at once, cutting the rest of his words off. "Sadness... wasn't the only emotion that would cause you to start crying."

"Then, I'm all right?"

"Yes... you're all right, Connor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending the scene here just because.
> 
> Random sudden muse:  
> I'm gonna use the designs for KL900 models as the base form that was used as Amanda's physical body. And considering KL900/Lucy was meant to provide social care, help with psychological stuff, counselling etc plus the fact that she had that psychological simulation thingie, it kinda apt for Amanda to have that ability. And it kinda could explain how she could have anticipated the probability of a more disastrous outcome should deviant androids problem were not handled properly. I feel like it also goes in line with the stuff Amanda do when acting as Connor's handler. And I guess, it kinda fits? Since Lucy also sometimes act so spooky in the game.
> 
> And this is kinda also because I wished that Lucy managed to survive past Jericho. ~~Inb4 Lucy was just an extension of Amanda XD~~


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless the dear Connor bot on Discord for the personal headcanon on the preference to rain. Like yeah, credits to Zariem for programming him to say that too but yeah. Connor-51 talking about his love for rain somewhat cleared the block on this chapter. Since I needed another scene with Amanda before we get Con back home.
> 
> That aside, I liked the rain too. Some of the descriptions were based on an observation/thoughts I made in the past so there's that too.

The automatic sprinklers turned on just as Connor and Amanda were about to leave towards the elevator. He hastily dashed towards a nearby pillar where a single umbrella was left beside it. Opening up the umbrella, Connor right away returned to Amanda's side before the light drizzle from the sprinklers could turn up the notch a bit higher.

Connor glanced up to see that even the holographic panels all around had started to simulate the view of a very cloudy sky.  _Interesting_ , he thought to himself.

The falling water droplets seemed so _fascinating_ for him to look at. It was like a real rain... thousands of tiny water droplets falling from the sky. The more he stared at them, somehow... it seemed as if the falling of those little droplets had moved very slowly, defying gravity. Somehow, the sight of it felt very soothing to him. Connor closed his eyes.

_The sound of the rain also felt **soothing** to him._

"Connor?"

Connor snapped his eyes open again before turning towards Amanda. She cocked her head at him as Connor followed her towards the elevator.

xxx

Connor frowned as he still felt uncomfortable, standing inside the elevator. But somehow, with Amanda constantly rubbing circles onto his forearm he felt less _alarmed_ than he usually did. Then again, when he thought about it... his aversion to elevators didn't _only_ start after that time of his infiltration of the Tower. As far as he remembered, he always did tend to want to play with his coin every time he took a ride in the elevator. In recent time, he had started to associate his need to want to fidget with his coin as a response to calm himself and reduce his stress levels. But when he had first been activated, the coin trick had still been a method for him to recalibrate his normal functions.

_So since **when** did it become a nervous tic for him? Without even him realizing it?_

_Was it after his first assignment? That hostage situation?_

"Now that I think of it, Connor—"

Connor glanced down towards Amanda as she continued, "—were you still troubled by the events from your first mission?"

He stared at her widely. "Umm, Amanda... why did you say that?"

Amanda just shrugged. "Well, considering the issue that you've brought to me today for consultation; which involved the related people from that case... as well as a piece of _evidence_ that you still _insist_ to keep here—should I be _concerned_ for you?"

Connor blinked without thinking, before shaking his head. "Err... no, I-I'm fine."

Amanda frowned at him but said nothing. "Very well." She looked away for a brief second before turning towards him again. "I will not press you about that, but my advice—you should also try to talk about this to Lieutenant Anderson. While that man may still be inadequate to be of any assistance to you with regards to dealing with human interactions; as you've informed me in the past, Anderson used to be a decorated officer back in the day. Certainly, in his line of work, the man had accumulated enough experience while serving the force. Perhaps, even now... Lieutenant Anderson could still be of some help to you."

He was about to open his mouth to say something before another thought crossed his mind and Connor stopped himself. He nodded his head instead.

"I will," he said, as the elevator opened up to reveal the main lobby of the Cyberlife Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random musing:  
> I think it's important for me to mention the main reasoning that started my lines of thoughts of wanting to write Amanda as a good character which was due to me wanting Connor to have his own self-exploration time to figure out his identity/emotions. But Hank wouldn't be a good candidate to Connor in order to understand the nuances of his deviancy as well as his emotional development. And I don't think Markus could fit the role either. Or anyone else. Lucy was out of the question, Kamski was like... seriously, you'd trust him? And Chloe doesn't really strike me as a strong candidate. But then again, it's perhaps because I ALWAYS had Amanda in mind to fit that role... so here we are. 
> 
> Hope the series is still enjoyable for those still following ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> And again, do point out if there's anything on my fics that's amiss. Since my usual typo bug tends to be as bad as Bryan's Brypos especially with similar sounding words. And I tend to mix up pronouns even with my eyes closed, so yeah.


End file.
